The current situation in Laos gives reasons for the foundation of Lao Swiss Dek Dee:
- Despite of the economic growth in Laos, the country is still facing a lot of poverty and problems.
- Especially in rural areas, school and good education has not yet become a priority for many parents. In these provinces, lack of qualification and skilled labor are problems.
- Often, children are still consider
ed as cheap labour force, and parents prefer sending their children to work instead of allowing them to go to school.
- At the same time, the quality of teaching can be described as very low. Teachers are often not motivated, as they do not receive regular salaries and as payment is low.
- While some non-governmental and private organizations are already helping to build infrastructure such as hospitals, farms etc., they do not exclusively focus on improving the school system in local areas. The objective of Lao Swiss Dek Dee is to develop good schools in rural areas in Laos:
- Within the Lao Swiss Dek Dee project, every child will have a chance to go to school and enjoy a proper level of education.
- The project will start in a selected village in the Thoulakhom province in Laos.
- Its focus will be to encourage and foster intrinsic motivation to learn, both in teachers and in children.
- A high quality of teachers, who want to pass their knowledge to the children, a good infrastructure, a free meal per day, and the involvement of foreign guest teachers will increase the attractiveness of the school.
- Lao Swiss Dek Dee will also distract young people from drug addiction by giving them purpose and meaning. The time schedule includes three project steps in the development of Lao Swiss Dek Dee:
2011 - 2012: Phase I
-> Creating local credibility, anticipating potential resistance
-> Making connections to local government and private partners
-> Identifying and deciding for one school as „pilot project“
-> Providing basic infrastructure (e.g. toilets, blackboards) to create „quick wins“
-> Setting up a local network of contact partners, other NGO and sponsors / funders
-> Creating website, logo, folder, starting branding / fundraising
2013-2015: Phase II
-> Further professionalizing the project and establishing systems
-> Marketing first successes on website, getting more funds via social networks (web 2.0)
-> Building a small local organization in Laos to support project operations
-> Establishing regular payments for teachers and the „free meal per day“ system
-> Further educating existing teachers and recruiting new teachers to improve quality
-> Finding volunteers from other countries to work as guest teachers
2015-2020: Phase III
-> Building new infrastructure such as a multifunctional hall as meeting place and kitchen
-> Reinforcing sports activities, e.g. by building a new sport facility (athletics etc.)
-> Establishing vocational training and skill building opportunities with local senior advisors
-> Teaching of cooking, massage, sawing, electrotechnics, mechanics, agriculture etc.
-> Establishing regular visits of foreign teachers and volunteers
-> Further professionalizing the organization and the fundraising system
All parties in the community can benefit from Lao Swiss Dek Dee project:
Benefits for the children:
- Encouragement for sport improves health and well-being
- Learning and studying improves opportunities for the future
- Better skills and qualifications foster autonomy and help family support
- A purpose and meaning in live reduces consumption of drugs and criminality
Benefits for the family / grown-ups:
- Investment into better skills and education secures pension and long-term safety
- „One meal per day“ program reduces effort in having to find nutrition for children
- Involvement of local experts in class as „senior advisors“ can make senior people feel useful (and eventually, even increase their income)
Benefits for the society:
- Improvement of hygienic conditions and safety
- Stronger cohesion in local society by better education
- Better competitiveness on an increasingly global labor market
- Reduction of unemployment, drug abuse and other social problems
Thoulakom province is a good place to start our project Lao Swiss Dek Dee:
- Despite of being close to the capital city Vientiane, Thoulakom still has very little infrastructure, a high rate of poverty and unemployment.
- In this region live several ethnic groups which also speak different dialects. The goal is to bring these groups together and give them the opportunity to learn the official language of Laos.
- The founder of Lao Swiss Dek Dee has grown up in this region and knows very well the suffering and poverty of local people.
- Many children have no opportunity to go to school, drug problems are prevailing.
- Due to the personal history of the founder, a first local network of trustworthy people exists. Raising funds is very important for the success of our project Lao Swiss Dek Dee:
- For enabling children and grown-ups in Thoulakhom to have a better life, we will need not only monetary funds. Clothes, notepads, pens, pencils, blackboards, stationnery, computers, sport equipment or even hygienic articles will be welcomed donations as well.
- We will look for donations both from private persons, companies and from the temple. The foundation of a nonprofit association („gemeinnütziger Verein“) will enable us to issue receipts for donations.
- In a later phase, the establishment of a payment system via website (bank account) will ease people to donate to Lao Swiss Dek Dee.
- Once the project is established, we also want to find regular donators by offering personal sponsorships to children. Regular updates of our success and the project‘s progress on the website, via social media and newsletters will give sponsors the feeling that they are supporting a good idea. They are the financial backbone of our association.
- All donations, no matter whether big or small, reach the affected children in Thoulakhom directly! Thank you very much for your help! Contact:
Verein Lao Swiss Dek Dee
c/o René Anliker
Scheibenstrasse 17
3600 Thun
Switzerland
Email: [email protected]
Donations:
Bank: Raiffeisenbank
Region Uetendorf-Thun
Burgstrasse 20
3600 Thun
IBAN: CH86 8086 7000 0065 9781 4
BC-Nr. 80867
In favor of: Verein Lao Swiss Dek Dee
c/o René Anliker
Scheibenstrasse 17
3600 Thun
Switzerland
